Texan Basketball add six standouts for 2018-19 season

STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton men’s basketball head coach Chris Reisman has announced his first recruiting class with the signing of six players for the 2018-19 season.

Of the six players signed by Reisman and his coaching staff, four are transfers and two are out of high school. Three of the four transfers come from a Division I program. The Texans brought in five guards and one forward with all but one commit having multiple years of eligibility left.

Randall Broddie, a 6-foot-3 guard, comes to Tarleton from Walters State where he averaged 13.9 points and 3.4 assists in 27 games played. Broddie, who will be a junior, spent his freshman year redshirting at Memphis where he signed out of high school as a 247Sports 4-star guard and the No. 7-ranked shooting guard in the country. Brandon Goldsmith is the lone senior in the recruiting class and comes to Tarleton from North Carolina Central, who made the NCAA Division I Tournament last season. Goldsmith, a 6-foot-5 guard, appeared in 26 games with 20 starts for NCCU and averaged 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament Champions. Richie Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, joins the Texans from Division I Marist where he played in 29 games, averaging 3.2 points in 11 minutes and made 25 of 26 free throw attempts (96.2 percent).

The Texans also signed Dallas Baptist transfer Grey Parrish, who was part of the Patriots’ 26-6 NCAA South Central Regional Tournament team. Parrish is a 6-foot-9 forward with two years of eligibility left. Parrish played in 32 games in his two years at DBU. Reisman rounded out his recruiting class with a pair of high school standouts in Neyland Block and Kemonte Dowdy. Block comes to Tarleton from Copperas Cove High School where he averaged 16 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds and was a first-team All-District 8-6A selection. Dowdy was a four-year starter at Sherman High School where he averaged 19 points per game and was first-team All-District 5-5A as a senior.

The Texans return eight members – including four starters – from last year’s team that went 19-11 and reached the Lone Star Conference tournament semifinals.

Randall Broddie \| Jr. \| 6-3, Guard \| Walters State/Memphis

Randall Broddie comes to Tarleton with two years of eligibility left where he played his sophomore season at Walters State after signing with Memphis out of high school. Broddie is from Temple Hills, Maryland. Stats: Played in 27 games; averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 assists and shot 50.5 percent from the field. Scored 10 or more points in 14 of the 15 games in which he logged at least 19 minutes. Scored at least 20 points seven times, including a 25-point game against Volunteer State. Coach Chris Reisman: “Randall Broddie was a big piece in our 2018 recruiting class. He’s been around high-level basketball his entire basketball career. We needed a guard that has the ability not only to score at all three levels but defensively has the ability to be a lock down defender.”

Brandon Goldsmith \| Sr. \| 6-5, Guard \| North Carolina Central

Brandon Goldsmith comes to Tarleton as a senior leader with NCAA Division I Tournament experience from North Carolina Central. Goldsmith is from Raleigh, North Carolina. Stats: Appeared in 26 contests with 20 starts; averaged 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 39.4 percent in 16.3 minutes per game for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Champion and NCAA Tournament Qualifier. Scored 19 points with 8 rebounds and 3 steals in 36 minutes against McNeese State (La.) Coach Chris Reisman: “Brandon is a highly motivated competitor and brings a working attitude to our team. He delivers great size and quickness to the wing position. He started 20 games at the Division I level last season and experienced the NCAA Tournament. Brandon has that “serious” element that I’m looking for from our players. He’s not afraid to put in the work and will be a great addition to our team this season.”

Richie Mitchell \| Jr. \| 6-1, Guard \| Marist

Richie Mitchell comes to Tarleton with two years left of eligibility left after playing his sophomore year at Division I Marist. Mitchell has ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth area after playing his freshman season at Weatherford College where he was all-conference. Mitchell is from Michigan City, Indiana. Stats: Played in 29 games, averaging 3.2 points in 11.6 minutes for Division I Marist of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Made 25 of 26 free throw attempts (96.2 percent). Scored season-high nine points against Duke and dealt 5 assists vs. Iona. Coach Chris Reisman: “Richie Mitchell is an extremely quick guard that can break down the defense and really push the ball on the break. He has the ability to be a tough defender and frustrate opposing teams. Richie plays extremely hard and once he learns our system and builds chemistry with our team, he has the potential to be a special player for us.”

Grey Parrish \| Jr. \| 6-9, Forward \| Dallas Baptist

Grey Parrish comes to Tarleton with two years of eligibility left after playing the last two seasons at Dallas Baptist where he helped the Patriots go 26-6 and reach the NCAA Division II Tournament last season. Parrish is from San Antonio, Texas. Stats: Played in 17 games as a freshman and 15 as a sophomore with one start in his first season at DBU. Scored four points and pulled down five rebounds in a win over Arlington Baptist. Recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds vs. Baptist Bible College. Coach Chris Resiman: “Grey transfers from DBU and has a lot of tools that can benefit our program. I saw Grey in high school and he has really improved certain areas of his game to be successful in college. With continued improvement, I definitely think his best basketball is in front of him.”

Neyland Block \| Fr. \| 6-4, Guard \| Copperas Cove HS

Neyland Block was an all-around guard for Copperas Cove who was named first-team All-District 8-6A as a senior. Stats: Averaged 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds. Coach Chris Reisman: “Neyland is a versatile guard that can play different positions. He has good athleticism and is able to make players around him better. Once he adjusts to the speed and physicality of the college game, he’s going to have a good career here.”

Kemonte Dowdy \| Fr. \| 5-7, Guard \| Sherman HS

Kemonte Dowdy was a four-year starter at Sherman where he was a first-team all-district selection as a senior in District 5-5A. Dowdy helped his team return to the District 5A Playoffs where he made eight 3-pointers and netted 36 points in a bi-district contest against Justin Northwest. Stats: Averaged 19 points per game as a senior. Coach Chris Reisman: “Kemonte can really shoot the basketball and reminds me a little of former player Effran Bryant. He will see a lot of improvement over this first season as he works in our strength training program and competes in our practices and learns the system.”